How does Lafayette defensive back Phillip Parham make up for his short size?

Phillip Parham said of his high school football highlights film, "I thought it was all right … wasn't bad … it was kind of good."

But the major-college coaches who regularly stop at Cass Technical in Detroit to snap up the best players from one of the best high school teams in Michigan, weren't impressed with the 5-10, 180-pound defensive back.

When asked Tuesday at Lafayette's weekly football media lunch who other than Leopards offensive line coach Stan Clayton recruited him last winter, Parham said, "Nobody."

"Nobody?" he was asked again.

"Nobody. Nobody offered me," he replied.

Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani remembers Clayton bringing him Parham's tape, saying, "You have to take a look at this kid," whom he had found almost by accident at the final stop on his Midwestern recruiting trip.

"I looked at the film and said, 'Whoa.' I really kept watching him make tackle after tackle. A good tackler. A cover corner. All the skills," Tavani said. 'I asked Stan, 'What's the deal?' He said, 'Believe it or not, nothing. He's small. I'll tell you up front.'"

It was late in the recruiting process, but Lafayette was still in the market for a cover corner to whom it could offer a scholarship.

"Everybody wants one of those guys," Tavani said.

Parham said Clayton "called me often … about every other day" after they first met, and he and his parents drove from their home in Lincoln Park, Mich., for Lafayette's final weekend of official visits. Before they left Easton, Tavani had offered and Parham had made a verbal commitment to the scholarship.

Lafayette had some numbers problems in the secondary, having to go through spring camp with only two cornerbacks. So when Parham arrived at summer camp, he didn't have to wait long to get a chance to show his stuff.

He played on special teams early in the year, then worked his way into the rotation. He was made a starter for the Georgetown game, and last week he returned an interception for a touchdown against Harvard and was named the Patriot League's rookie of the week.

Parham has only 14 tackles at this point, but he has two interceptions and has broken up seven other passes. He also blocked a field goal against Georgetown.

He is an aggressive player and has been burned because of that, but Tavani chalks that up to his inexperience, and Parham says he doesn't consider himself a "high-risk" player.

"I don't think I'm a high-risk guy," he said. "I try to learn the game plan. I watch as much film as I can so I know what the quarterback's tendencies are, so if I see he's going to do something, I try my best to get there."

That's what happened Saturday. He anticipated a pass intended for Harvard's Andrew Fischer — "I never saw anything jumped that quick. It was like somebody pulled the trigger," Tavani said — and ran it 35 yards for the Leopards' first score in their eventual 24-14 setback.

Lafayette actually has two corners who play aggressively. The other is Matt Smalley, an all-league player last year.

"They play with their instincts now instead of listening for this call or that call and something changes at the last second," Tavani said. "He's savvy, and a real tough kid," Tavani added of Parham.

Parham, who helped Cass Tech to a state title in 2012 and a 12-1 record in 2013, had to watch as some of his buddies got FBS scholarships — fellow cornerback Damon Webb to Ohio State and running back Gary Hosey and linebacker Will White to Buffalo.

Parham said he got "a little bit" of interest, "but they saw my size, saw I was a little short, and they looked away. That's what they said."

He was put at defensive back when he started playing youth football at age 8.

"When I was younger, I couldn't catch, so I didn't have many interceptions, but I had all the tackles," he said.

The Lafayette secondary will get a good test this week from Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujols, who has passed for 1,792 yards and eight touchdowns and has run 107 times for a team-leading 481 yards. The Crusaders' receiving corps includes Whitehall High grad Tyler Artim, who had a career-high eight catches last week and has 30 for the season for 329 yards and a touchdown.

Pujols was the Patriot League's rookie of the year in 2013, and after watching him on film, Parham said, "He's a good quarterback, good runner, nice arm. We just have to come to play."

EXTRA POINTS — Tavani said Leopard quarterback Drew Reed, who was 21-for-22 against Holy Cross last year for 382 yards and five touchdowns, did everything in practice Monday and "felt pretty good. Unless something goes on during the week, I expect him to be ready to go." Reed missed two games and returned to the starting lineup last week at Harvard, but he was relieved on the second series after landing hard on his still-healing shoulder. … Senior offensive tackle Luke Chiarolanzio, a four-year starter, underwent surgery Tuesday on his torn biceps muscle. His career is ended.